Pakistan have rested as many as six top players for the upcoming ODI series against Australia in the UAE.

The Pakistan board announced that regular captain Sarfraz Ahmed, star batsmen Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman, pacers Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi along with spinner Shadab Khan have been given a rest. Shoaib Malik has been appointed captain in Sarfraz’s absence.

The selectors also decided to reward up and coming fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain with a national call-up after the youngster impressed during the ongoing Pakistan Super League.

Quetta Gladiators’ Hasnain was the first pacer to breach the 150kph mark during the fourth edition of the league and was being tipped to get selected sooner rather than later.

Hussain Talat was dropped while Mohammad Hafeez was not considered as “he is recovering from a thumb surgery”. Also, mercurial batsman Umar Akmal got selected after impressing for Quetta Gladiators in the PSL.

After the selection, chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq said: “I am pleased that we have been able to develop a strong bench-strength that has helped us to make eight changes from the previous series. The changes have been made taking into consideration the player workload in the build up to the World Cup

“Mohammad Hasnain has been identified as one of the fast bowlers for the future. The 18-year-old has not only bowled with pace, regularly clocking 145kmph, he has shown tremendous control with the ball which has earned him crucial wickets in the ongoing HBL PSL. Like we nurtured and trained Shaheen Shah Afridi, we – with the support of the team management – have decided to provide the same pathway to the Hyderabad-born lad.

“Umar Akmal, we all know, is immensely talented and still has plenty to offer. Sometimes, time away from international cricket allows a player to recompose and gather himself, and come back strongly. I hope this happens with this player, as a fully fit and in-form Umar will bolster the middle-order.”

The series start in Sharjah on March 22 and ends in Dubai on March 31. The Pakistan team leaves for the UAE on March 18 .

While questions marks have been raised over the quality of Pakistan’s domestic cricket structure, newly appointed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) managing director Wasim Khan remains determined to overhaul it in the coming months.

The call to improve Pakistan’s domestic cricket structure has been growing in recent times with the several former players including Javed Miandad, Aamir Sohail and Umar Gul voicing their concerns.

“I’m already aware of challenges and domestic cricket overhauling is one of the major tasks,” the PCB MD was quoted as saying by Pakistan Today.

“We are planning about it and within coming two to three months we will have a clear picture.”

The former Leicestershire chief executive wants Pakistan to take a leaf out of arch-rivals India when it comes to overhauling the domestic setup

“When it comes to domestic structure it includes basics like wickets, grounds, and training facilities. When we present the model, we will also introduce an infrastructure for that as well,” he said.

Wasim Khan was formerly CEO of Leicestershire CCC.

“In India, they have a strong cricket structure. That is why their cricket is progressing. So, we have to take some similar steps to take Pakistan cricket forward.”

While domestic cricket remains on the menu for the PCB MD, accelerating the return of international cricket to Pakistan is top of the agenda.

“We are bearing a lot of expenses for hosting any team here in UAE. Fans are not coming in large numbers as well. Which is why, it is very important that we should bring international cricket back to Pakistan.”

Appointed as the PCB managing director following an intensive two-phase selection process involving 350 candidates, Wasim Khan officially began his tenure on February 1.